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2026 May

May 2026

This month we’re talking about focus. There’s a lot of distraction out there right now — and as you’ll see from the Coach’s Tip, Member Spotlight, and other insights in this issue, staying focused amidst that noise is key to success.

Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a future issue.

Enjoy!

Derek Jones,
Director of Community

In This Issue

Focus Fuels Production (Especially in a Noisy Market)

In today’s real estate environment, it’s easy to feel distracted.

Between shifting headlines, market speculation, social media, and what others are doing in the industry, many agents find themselves overwhelmed — not from a lack of opportunity, but from a lack of focus.

The truth is, most agents don’t need a new strategy. They need stronger execution of the right activities.

It’s not about asking, “What should I do?”

It’s about asking, “Am I consistently doing what I already know works?”

When the market gets noisy, focus becomes your greatest advantage.

Back to Basics: Clarity Creates Confidence

During times of uncertainty, there is a natural tendency to look outward — watching competitors, consuming more content or searching for the next big idea.

But production doesn’t come from more information. It comes from consistent, intentional action.

The agents who continue to grow their business in any market are the ones who stay grounded in the fundamentals:

  • Building and nurturing relationships.
  • Having meaningful conversations.
  • Following up consistently.
  • Serving their database at a high level.

Clarity in these areas creates confidence. And confidence leads to action.

A Simple, Tangible Strategy: Win the First Two Hours

One of the most effective ways to regain focus and momentum is to take control of how each day begins.

I often encourage clients to implement what I call a “Focus Block” — the first two hours of the workday dedicated exclusively to income-producing activities.

That means:

  • Reaching out to your database.
  • Making calls.
  • Sending notes or messages.
  • Following up on opportunities.

I’d suggest scheduling a Focus Block five days a week, at the same time each day. Set a specific goal for the number of conversations you want to complete and treat that number as the only metric that matters for those two hours. No email, no social media, no market news until the block is complete.

What gets scheduled gets done. What gets protected gets results.

Focus Creates Momentum

Recently, one of the agents I coach was feeling stuck and discouraged.

She found herself constantly comparing her business to others, consuming too much outside noise, and avoiding calls because her confidence had dropped.

Instead of overhauling her entire strategy, we simplified it.

Her commitment was straightforward:

  • Have 10 conversations every morning before doing anything else.
  • Track the activity daily.
  • Let go of the need for immediate results and focus on consistency.

Within a few weeks, everything began to shift.

Her confidence increased.
Her conversations improved.
Her pipeline started to build. Nothing external had changed — until her daily focus did.

Focus Creates Freedom

Motivation isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you create through action.

When agents feel stuck, they don’t need more inspiration. They need structure. They need clarity. And they need to return to the activities that drive results.

If you’re feeling distracted or uncertain, start by protecting the two hours when you know you do your best work. Block that time on your schedule and commit to it. That will empower you to focus and help you move toward your goals.

Ready to build a business that runs on focus, not noise? Contact us for a free Business Consultation. In this 30-minute call, we’ll help you get clear on your vision, identify what’s holding you back, see what’s working for others just like you and discover your next step.

What’s Wrong with the Real Estate Industry?

The real estate industry has had its share of bumps, bruises and enough hairpin turns to make even the calmest agent feel queasy over the past few years.

The market has had to recalibrate after a few hectic years that saw mortgage rates at all-time (and artificial) lows. That resulted in many sellers finding themselves in the enviable position of receiving multiple offers over their asking price and would-be buyers left on the sidelines.

As we approach the middle of this year, the real estate industry is once again losing its way and has become distracted, distorted and deranged.

Distracted

The industry has been beset by lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions galore. Companies are fighting over “private listings.”

As Jon Acuff, one of our favorite guest speakers, noted, “The distraction industry has scaled faster than our ability to focus.”

So what are we focused on? Everything except what we should be.

When you’re distracted by all this noise, you aren’t providing your clients with what they need — superior service as they get ready to make one of the largest financial transactions they will ever make.

Focus your attention on meeting your clients’ needs and providing them with such stellar service that they’ll want to refer you to their family and friends.

Distorted

Real estate marketing has been distorted with companies who want to sell you new ways to source leads, ad strategies, cold outreach scripts, and other ways to get in front of strangers.

Basically, the thought is that these new ways are better than traditional marketing of building your database through referrals.

Well, not so fast. If you look at a recent National Association of Realtors report, you’ll see some numbers that should truly make agents rethink their marketing.

For buyers, nearly half of all clients used an agent that they had used before or one that had been referred to them. For sellers, that number went up to 75%.

Those numbers are proof that trusted relationships and referrals work.

Deranged

Social media is flooded with so-called “influencers” who believe all they need to do is turn on their phone, start recording and clients will come flooding in.

I’m not opposed to social media at all — in fact, Buffini & Company invested in a platform last year for our customers.

But social media is not how you, a professional real estate agent, should make your living. It should be a component that supports your database.

Some marketing “experts” advise that you should be spending 50% of your time on content creation to get eyeballs on your listings. Now, that might work some of the time. But at Buffini & Company, we believe that it all comes down to clients just wanting to know the answers to these three questions:

  • “Can I trust you?”
  • “Are you good at what you do?”
  • “Do you care about me?”

People are still going to buy and sell homes, no matter what the industry — or the world, for that matter — is doing. They are not going to care if you’re a top social media influencer. They are going to care that you have their best interests at heart and that you will help them get the house (or sale) they want, at the price they want and in the timeframe they want.
The world may be chaotic, but when you set aside the distractions, and instead focus on the process and systems that you know work, you’ll find yourself well ahead of the competition.

To hear more of Brian’s thoughts, watch the replay of our most recent Buffini Coaching LIVE: Unleashing Your Power to Influence event.

Build a Listing Process That Delivers Every Time

In this blog, Carol Foderick shares the simple, repeatable listing process she’s used to help her brokerage manage 250+ listings a year. She’ll expand on this on our Community Connection webinar Wednesday, May 27 at 10 a.m., PT. Register here to join and learn more.

As teams grow, volume increases, and markets become more complex, the listing process is often where pressure shows up first. The missed details, inconsistent execution, compliance risk, and client experiences all too often depend on who happens to be handling the file that day.

A smart, comprehensive system changes all that.

A system built with clear, repeatable checklists ensures every step is followed, every time. Important details are not overlooked. Your business is compliant and protected. That then allows you to provide the five-star service that will help your business scale.

The proven systems we’ve built at the Carol Foderick Real Estate Group are a big part of what’s made us one of the largest and most successful teams in Canada. Processing over 250 listings a year with zero reviews below five stars isn’t something that happens by accident. It’s consistency by design.

What a System Is — and What it’s Not

An effective system operates on a shared platform that keeps your business in compliance, centralizes information, and creates clear, consistent communication across the board. It brings logistical efficiency to every transaction and makes execution faster and more predictable. Depending on your business, it could be a printed checklist, a digital project management tool, or a cloud-based platform.

It is not a process that is solely reliant on someone’s memory or must be rebuilt from scratch every time. A real system can’t be dependent on one person or saved in isolation. It needs to live somewhere shared, stay consistent no matter who’s running it, and work the same way every single time.

How We Put Our System into Practice

Every listing at the Carol Foderick Real Estate Group follows a defined sequence. Use this as a guide to create or revise your own system.

  • Clarity Starting with the Listing Appointment
    The client leaves knowing exactly what to expect. All timelines, roles, and next steps are clearly outlined before anything is signed.
  • Structured Intake and Setup
    We capture all key details immediately through a standardized process — from pricing and property details to required documentation and MLS input — and assign ownership so nothing gets missed.
  • Coordinated Preparation
    Every step is scheduled in advance — staging, repairs, photography, and marketing — with a clear timeline built backward from the listing date so the home is positioned at its strongest before going live.
  • Launch and Continued Management
    The listing goes live with clear showing instructions, marketing in motion, and a defined communication plan including tracking showings and gathering feedback. The client is consistently updated through every stage.

In today’s market, clients need more from you than ever before: clarity, consistency, and confidence. When your process is dialed in, your team spends less time fixing mistakes or recreating the process from scratch every time, and more time doing the work that actually moves the business forward. That means providing stellar client service, strong skills and building long-term enterprise value

Carol will share the system her team uses on our Community Connection webinar Wednesday, May 27, at 10 a.m. PT. Register here to join and learn more.

Jeff Lewis

After high school, Jeff Lewis admitted he was not quite sure what to do next with his life. Inspired by the movie The Fast and the Furious, he decided to become an auto mechanic. He enjoyed his work and was fortunate enough to buy a sports car.

Although he was doing well, Jeff admitted he felt a bit stagnant. Meeting his wife, who he describes as a “self-employed, boss babe,” gave him the impetus to make some changes. He started immersing himself in books and podcasts featuring admired thought leaders like Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn.

Shift Into Real Estate

“It really changed my mindset. I really was thinking differently,” he said of his self-education. “I wanted a career change.”

With that shift in perspective, Jeff decided to become a real estate agent, first joining a team. He acknowledged that he “learned a lot, but it was a grind.” In that first year, he closed 30 deals, but his business was built on internet leads and cold calls.

By chance, Jeff then found Brian Buffini’s It’s a Good Life podcast. The relational way of doing business — working with people you know and like — resonated with him. Inspired, he signed up for Referral Maker PRO®.

“When I started real estate, I had the mindset and the work ethic, but I really needed the system. The Buffini system is very straightforward. It’s very simple and effective,” he said. “You have the time to provide the really good service.”

“My business continued to grow after signing up to use Referral Maker PRO. It gave me the confidence to leave a team and continue real estate as a solo agent.”

Encouraged by those early results, he took the next step and signed up to work with a coach — a decision he calls a “gamechanger.”

“My coach, Julie, really keeps me accountable. I wasn’t always the most organized person, so she really keeps me on track,” he explained. “She makes sure I keep an eye on my database and track my progress and my sales.”

The Value of White Glove Service

Jeff loves that working by referral allows him to spend time with clients in ways other than just helping or buying a home. He regularly hosts movie appreciation events, plays tennis or goes on bike rides with them. (Truly embodying full service, he provides referrals for other professionals and occasionally taps into his own background as a mechanic to offer advice.)

“The Buffini method really does work. It’s long-term thinking. It’s really taking care of your clients with white glove service and earning their trust,” he said.

“The people that refer me already speak well of me. So I don’t have to convince [new clients] that I’m competent or that I will have their best interest. I already have that,” he added.

Jeff’s Good Life

Beyond business success, Jeff has another important goal in mind — providing a way for kids to tap into some of the knowledge he used on his own personal growth journey.

“I would love to help kids and start a book group or something to help them get to where they want to be,” he said.

Jeff notes that he never imagined, as a young man, that he would be living the life he does now. He has more time to spend with his family, even as his business continues to grow. A sense of gratitude is always present.

“If it wasn’t for my past clients, friends and family that have referred me and continue to refer me to all of their friends, I wouldn’t be here. I’m very grateful and appreciative of everybody that has helped me get here.”

Watch Jeff's story here.

 

PREVIOUS ISSUES

April 2026: Find Your Business Rhythm
March 2026: Your Q1 Check-In Is Here
February 2026: Let’s Keep Your Goals Moving